Improved oar-starter



@uitrit tst @anni @fitta Letters Patent No. 75,981, ated Iarch 241,1868.

' IMPROVED GAR-STARTER.

d1un Stlgthrlt trium tn iu ilgtse ttttrs hnelt mit mrhiugput nt tigesmite.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY OONGERN: V

Be it known that I, Lnonlninn RoDnNnA'UsuN, of the cityand county ot-Philadelphia, and State-ot' Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImproved Car-Starter; and I dolhereby decla-re the following to be aclearv and exact description of `the nature thereof, suliicientto enableothers skilled in theart to which my invention appertains to fullyunderstand anduse the saine, reference being had t0 the accompanyingdrawings, making part of this speciiication, in which- #j n i Figure Iis a topor plan view v.of the device, illustrating niy invention.

Figure II is a vertical longitudinal section thereof, inr line ze x,Fig. I.

,Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the twofigures.

My invention is a new device for starting street-cars generally, andconsists in applying a ratchetvto the axle and a loop. to the tongue-ordraw-bar, which loop shall catch over the teeth of the ratchet, so thatwhen the horses are started powerwill be communicated directly to theaxles, thereby rotate the wheels and move the car. So soon as the loophasheen drawn clear of the teeth, it will remain inoperative until thecar is stopped, when loop will drop on theratchet again, ready to turnthe wheels when the horses are started, and so on, so long as desired.l

In the drawings, A represents the truck of a street-car, having theordinary wheels B and axle C. D is the tongue o'r draught-pole, but whenthis is dispensed with, it is substituted by a draw-bar, both for thepurpose of attachment to the traces of the horses, for propelling thecars as usual. Each tongue, pole, or drawbar passes through an openingin theends of the car, either under the platforms, or ,in suitabledraw-heads, and has a certain longitudinal play therein, which islimited at the outer end by the ears a, which receive the. coupling-piusor a hook, for the ring ,behind the double-trees, or by stop-pins, orany suitable appliances. The inner end ofthe tongue or bar D has hinged,pivoted, or jointed to it an open frame or loop,E. This loopisconstructed of suitable metal, and should be suihciently strong for thepurpose intended. It consists of two side-pieces, c c, and aeonnectingend-picce, Aforming threelsides of asquare, and having an openside, which faces the tongue or draw-bar D, and attliis open end I pivotor hinge said tongue D to the sides c of the loop, near their ends.

It will now be noticed that, if the tongue or-draw-bar is drawnoutloris' pushed in, itwill carry with it the loop or frame in eitherdirection, butitilimits the outward play of the tongue or draw-bar. i

The outer ends of the sides c are cuty away, bevelled, or curved, asshown at e, so that when the loop is drawn out its end, e, willstrike'the openjngthrough which moves the draw-bar or tongue, and causethe loop to swing upwards, as'shown in Fig. II. This loop is arrangedover the axles of the wheels, and its sides, c d, encircle a ratchet, G,which is keyed, or'othe'rwise secured' to theaxle, at or about thecentre thereof. The ratchet G being oordinary construction, andconsisting cfa body `or disk with the usual teeth, is applied to eachaxle. The teeth-point inwardly,andare adapted tobe caught by the side,d, of the loop, which side is bcvelled on. its inner face, so as tomorereadily take hold of the shoulders of the teeth.

When the car is at a state of rest, the sides e c ofthe loop or catch Estraddle or encircle the rachet below the periphery, while'the ond, ci',is entirely or-almost in contaetwith one ofthe teeth. So soon as thehorses are started, and the tongue or bar D drawn forward, the catchorvl loop E will follow. Now, as the end, d, is held against one toothof the ratchet G, it is evident `that the ratchet must likewise move,and thereby 'cause the wheels to rot-ate. This will start the car, and,as soon as the catch or loop is drawn suilieiently forward, its end, d,will cleur'the tooth. he bevelled ends e of the sides c then strike theedges of the opening for the` tongue or bar D, and causel the loopor'ca'tch t swing upward and entirely free lfrom the ratchet. The carwill then be drawn as ordinarily. l

lWhen the car is to be stopped, it is well known that itsmomentunrcauses it to run or slip a certain distance, even when` thebrakes are applied and thehorses are at stand-still. Now, in this case,the tongue is always thrown upward, but, when my device is applied, iteither remains still or slides towards the rear of the car. The same 4istrue when draw-bars are employed. Consequently, the loop or catch E isliberated, so that meer it falls and slips over the ratchet, while theend, al, is again ready to take hold of the tooth, with which it Comesin contact, and operates theratchet to start the car, as has beenhcreinbefore described.

A cam, stop-pin, or incline could be s'eeured to the truck to cause thecatch or loop to he thrown up, but, as the result is the same, I do notlimit myself thereto. d

The teeth of the ratchet could be formed on the faces of a disk securedto the axle, and a vertical catch or loop might be employed, having aspring, or equivalent device, to cause the catch to bear against theteeth.

when it returns to operate the ratchetgror a springf, may be secured tothe truck, and connected to the' drawbar or tongue, or to the catch, soas to assist the operation of brngingvthe loop -baek again over theratchet, but, as the loop or catch will fall by its own gravity, and thesliding bar or tongue always carries it behind the teeth, I prefer todispense with such additional parts, but'theymay be employerhif deemednecessary.

In 'streets where the grade ascends, and there is a tendency of the cargoing backwards when it is stopped, the catch taking hold of the ratchetwill prevent such backward movement, and this feature is an importantpart of my invention. l d

Instead of the catch consisting of a loopcr open frame,rit maybe formedof a bar with a hooked end, to drop over the teeth of the ratchet, butit operates the same, and lrtheretore do vnot limit to the exactconstruction of said part.

When the draw-bar or tongueis drawn out toits -fullY extent, it can beprevented from returning when desired, hy means of a pin dropped throughthe platform intoanopening in the bar or tongue.

My device is simple, practical, and useful, and is designed to 'supply awant long experienced and known in cities having street-cars. Y

I hereby disclaim as any part of Vmy invention the devices shown in thepatent of William Palmer, dated October 3, 1854; but K What I claim, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, isy The catch E, attached directlyte the tongue o1" draw-bar D, and employed in combination with aratchetwheel secured to the centre of the axle, all arranged andconstructed to operate as herein described and represented.

To the above, I have signed my name, this 6th day of January, 1868.

LEONHARD RODENHAUSEN.

Witnesses:

JonN A. Wrennnsnnm, WM. A. WIEDERSHEIM.

